It is the question that quietly haunts the second half of working life: am I behind? The Federal Reserve’s latest…
Browsing: Finance
Central banks are buying gold at a pace not seen in generations, reshaping global reserves and giving the bullion market a powerful, price-insensitive buyer.
The People’s Bank of China has approved Visa’s application to prepare a domestic bank-card clearing business. Visa has one year to complete preparations before applying for the full licence, joining American Express and Mastercard in China’s clearing market.
The IMF raised its 2026 global growth forecast to 3.1%, crediting the AI investment boom with offsetting higher oil prices from the Middle East war — while warning that an AI market correction, the conflict and rising debt all threaten the outlook.
A lukewarm August recovery was not enough to offset Argentina’s steep July contraction, leaving the economy on course for a technical recession. JPMorgan has cut its 2026 growth forecast to 1.5% and the World Bank to 2.1%.
South Korea’s exports rose 102% year on year to a record $26.1 billion in the first 10 days of October, Korea Customs Service data show, as semiconductor shipments surged about 171% and accounted for 46.7% of all exports.
The biggest US banks are expected to post about $38.9 billion in third-quarter markets revenue — up 17% on last year, but a clear step down from the blockbuster pace of the second quarter.
Dallas-based PIF Energy plans to spend $2 billion on up to 15 crude tankers to move Gulf oil through the Strait of Hormuz, as security risks send charter rates to extraordinary levels.
China’s debt servicing now eats 19.2% of the central budget, a record high, while the PBOC made its biggest gold purchase since 2023 — 23 tonnes in September.
Wall Street’s pivotal week: banks report earnings, CPI and PPI land, and FactSet expects 29.6% S&P 500 earnings growth — a fourth straight quarter above 25%.